1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for forming an electrical connection between bonding pads or the like of an electrical component and electrical conductive pads on a substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Making electrical connections between an electrical component and a substrate such as a printed circuit board (PCB) in a high volume manufacturing process typically requires consideration of factors such as the pitch (center to center spacing) of the conductive runners on the electrical component, the pitch of the conductive runners on the PCB, the means of attachment between the PCB and the electrical component, and the mechanical forces on the connection.
In the past, when the pitch of the pads and conductors was large enough, a conventional elastomeric connection could be used to electrically connect the pads on the electrical component to the conductors on the PCB. One drawback of the conventional elastomeric connection is the mechanical integrity. Additional mechanical components are typically required to maintain the integrity of the mechanical connection during shock or drop of the electrical component to PCB assembly. Another drawback to the conventional elastomeric connection is that components mounted in close proximity to the elastomeric connection may be subject to additional mechanical forces, leading to integrity concerns of the component during shock and drop of the assembly.
In the past, alignment requirements of conductive runners with small pitches (less than 0.050 inch (1.27 mm)) have typically required the use of a HSC (Heat Seal Connector) type connection.
FIG. 1 illustrates the use of a conventional HSC 10 for electrically connecting a plurality of component conductive pads 12 on a LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel 14 to a plurality of substrate conductive pads 16 on a PCB 18. The substrate conductive pads 16 are coupled to electrical parts (not shown) on the PCB 18.
A conventional HSC 10 is used as the connecting mechanism. The illustrated conventional HSC 10 has a first set of conductive pads 20 bonded on one side by heat sealing to the component conductive pads 12 on the LCD panel 14, and a second set of conductive pads 22 bonded on the other side to the substrate conductive pads 16 on the PCB 18.
One drawback of the illustrated heat seal connection is the cost of heat seal technology and assembly equipment and also the vertical height required for the connection. Further, electrical parts located close to the connection can be subject to mechanical stresses during shock and drop of the assembly similar to the assembly using the elastomeric connection.
What is needed is a low profile method and apparatus to electrically connect an electrical component and a PCB without the use of additional mechanical components required to provide mechanical integrity and shock protection of the connection and the proximately located electrical parts.